A Dragon's Prey
by Nightquesttarja
Summary: Hiccup finally finds the chance to prove himself as a Viking. Only, he never anticipated that missing that shot would result in that Monstrous Nightmare taking him to Dragon Island as prey for the Queen. Rated: T for violence.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**How to Train Your Dragon.**_

**Author's note: This idea has been tormenting my mind recently and I figured I should just write it. Note: I only intend this to be five or six chapters. My main concern is getting To Tame a Land finished (a process which is going wonderfully!)**

**As for the content of this story, I know it may sound similar to my To Tame a Land, but I assure you it's different!**

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_A Dragon's Prey_

He was taking a huge risk coming out here, but he did it anyway. The potential reward was so enticing and necessary that if he actually had listened and obeyed his orders to remain inside, he'd have eternally loathed himself.

He set his catapult into place on the lonely precipice, opened it, engaged it.

He waited…

His eyes frantically searched the starlit sky, just waiting for a dragon to rear its ugly head. "C'mon," he breathed. "Hurry up, hurry up!"

He could hear the shouting of villagers nearby, tightened his grip on the catapult. _If my father happens to wander up here and finds me… _The thought seemed to bring him even more stress and panic. This could be the only chance he'd ever have to prove himself worthy of being a Viking, and to say he felt stressed over it…

A burning red figure suddenly caught his eye. He watched the Monstrous Nightmare fly across the dark sky and set down on a cliff close-by. He aimed the catapult at it, biting his lip in anxiety.

_Just stay where you are… that's it… I've got you!_

His hand tightened, ready to release the net.

"Hicc_u-u-u-up!_" a voice behind him angrily bellowed.

Hiccup jumped like a startled feline, jerking and firing the catapult. The recoil of the device kicked him in the abdomen, sending him onto his back. He wasted no time getting to his feet, eyes falling on the furious, red-bearded Viking chief charging his way.

His eyes went wide. He was in _deep_ trouble… He's going to banish me... make me an outcast for betraying orders.

He quivered at the thought, just futilely praying that that wasn't the case. But when he looked at his father, storming up the hillside he noticed that something was off. For some strange reason his father's eyes reflected not anger and irritation, but terror and hurry as he stormed his way toward him.

He felt guilty. "Dad—"

"Hiccup!" his father cried in… fear?

"Wait, dad! Let me just show you—" Hiccup stopped short as he turned back to his catapult only to see the Nightmare he'd attempted to net, zooming for him. The dragon must've noticed him trying to net him and was now out for revenge.

The revelation came all too late as the dragon snapped his long black talons around his shoulder and began carrying him off the lovely green earth.

Hiccup shouted in terror as the dragon carried him higher, above the rooftops. "Dad!" he helplessly pleaded.

"Son!" he cried, hurling his ax at the beast in a final effort to bring it down. The double-sided weapon embedded itself deep into the Nightmare's left thigh, earning an agonized shriek from the beast. But it wasn't enough to stop the dragon.

The Nightmare just flew higher, becoming one with the blackened night sky and was gone.

Stoick steamed like an enraged dragon, shoving Vikings to the ground as he ran, faster than it seemed possible for a man of his size, in pursuit of the beast until he reached a cliff. He would have dove the massive distance to the water below and swam after his son, had it not been for a one-armed, one-legged man, jolting in his path and putting forth all his strength to stop him.

"Stoick!" Gobber cried, restraining him to the best of his abilities. There was sadness in his tone that he desperately tried to conceal.

"That's my son in that demon's hands!" he yelled.

"I…I know." Was all the Blacksmith could manage to say, a lump in his throat obstructing anything else.

Stoick huffed, composing himself somewhat. "Ready the ships! We're going after him!"

Gobber stared at him in disbelief. "Stoick..." he never wanted this moment to occur again. Stoick reacted the same way the night Valka... He fought back a sudden wall of sadness. He knew Hiccup well, and sadly knew that this moment was a possibility. Considering that frail boy's ambitions.

He glanced back at the Chief. The red bearded Viking was struggling to veil his emotions, staring off in the direction his son was taken. he knew just by the look what the man was thinking: Hiccup would survive somehow—he's survived many a harsh trial!

And with a grim smile, Gobber recalled that Stoick had had the same thoughts about his wife...

* * *

Hiccup wailed desperately, beating at the dragon's paw to release him. His efforts were useless though, just earning a tighter grip on his shoulder. The sharp talons biting into his skin hurt, despite his adrenaline, and he let it known by the endless stream of "Ows!" and "Ahs!"

The Nightmare carrying him ignored his discomfort, glancing at the companion Nightmare that, at some point, had swooped in to his right through the thick fog they were in.

"_You captured a live human?_" the cool-colored dragon asked in disbelief.

The Nightmare carrying the human, nodded proudly, "_And a whiny one too! It'll be enjoyable to see him suffer under the Queen._"

"_Do you think 'Green-Eyes' will like this?_"

"_Ah, who cares what that Night Fury thinks? He's not the Queen!_"

"_He could tear you apart in mere seconds._" He said pointedly.

"_He isn't going to do anything! Why would he? He hates humans just as much as we do._"

"_Yeah, well just watch your tongue. If he so much as suspects you're challenging him…_"

"_He can go cry to the Queen about it all he wants. She'll be too pleased by my gift that she might even kill him out of pure annoyance of his complaining!_"

"_I don't know about that…_"

"_Trust me._" he said, tightening his grasp around the human, earning a painful squeal. "_See? He's so weak! Can't even deal with a little pain._"

"_Humans,_" the other dragon scoffed in disdain.

To Hiccup, the conversation was mere growls. But the periodical glances they made at him, told that he was the subject of their conversation.

He winced—his shoulder hurt so badly! And the fear! He may have had a young heart, but he sincerely thought it was going to give out under all this stress.

The thick fog suddenly burned off, defining a single massive black mountain.

Hiccup knew it was the Nest, but didn't care in the least. He wasn't exactly an invited guest here…

He felt a sudden jolt of panic surge through him, wildly scratched at the dragon's leg. The pathetic human claws had no affect on the dragon. In fact, Hiccup swore he heard the beast laugh… if dragons could even do that anyway.

Defeated, he just watched in terror as the mountain approached. His fear was so great that all thoughts were unintelligible. He couldn't even remember where he was from, he was so scared and focused on what was about to happen to him!

They disappeared into a brief darkness, appearing a moment later in a glowing red chamber of choking heat. It was a small room of rock that looked like an enlarged beehive; tunnels everywhere, all (presumably) leading to a room of even greater immensity.

A wave of relief washed over him as he felt those stabbing talons release their hold on him. He fell to his knees from the combination of exhaustion and oppressing heat, taking a brief moment to observe his shoulder.

His green tunic had torn in three places on the front, most likely more on the back. Blood stained the immediate vicinity of the tears and he instinctively covered it with a hand.

He felt a wing forcefully bat him, knocked him flat on his back. The Nightmare was in his face, growling viciously—those menacing teeth inches away from tearing out his throat.

Hiccup stiffened in terror, helpless to do anything else. He was staring face-to-face with a snarling Monstrous Nightmare! On Berk, they weren't even allowed to battle one with capable weapons unless they were deemed strong enough. And there was another Nightmare, staring at him not too far away!

"_Smell his fear?_" the Nightmare over the human asked his companion. "_There's nothing more exciting than the smell of human fear!_"

The other Nightmare huffed in agreement, "_It is a pleasing smell. Especially when it's coming from the thing you hate most._"

_They're going to eat me!_ Hiccup thought, hearing their growls.

"_I think we should break his limbs,_" the Nightmare to his left said. "_He could try to escape if we don't._"

"_Like he'd be able to escape a dragon!_" the Nightmare snorted, causing Hiccup to flinch.

"_He's small though. He can fit into small spaces._"

"_Fine,_" The Nightmare agreed. "_It'll be fun to torment him, anyway._"

Hiccup saw the dragon draw away from him, felt himself able to release his breath… Until he noticed the dragon's mouth open around his right leg.

Instincts kicking in, he snapped the leg from the dragon's mouth, knowing the beast's intentions were anything but good.

The dragon howled in annoyance as Hiccup quickly got to his feet, prepared to pounce… but stopped. Instead his eyes just glistened in fear.

This filled Hiccup with disquiet, but he took it as an opportunity to escape. He turned to sprint away from the dragons, only to halt in the presence of a mid-sized black scaled dragon. It's green eyes radiating anger and confusion as it stared at him.

His lip quivered in fearful recognition of the beast. _A Night Fury…_

The dragon looked positively outraged and disgusted to be in this living human's presence. He bared his teeth in a deadly snarl at the boy, prepared to kill.

Hiccup took one more step backward and finally succumbed to his stress and passed out.

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**So, what do you guys think? If you all actually like it, I'll continue it.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**How to Train Your Dragon.**_

**Author's Note: Hi all! Sorry this took so long to get posted! I've been wildly busy working on my To Tame a Land story and this one kinda got lost in the wake of it all. But I managed to get a chapter of this story completed (I know it's short. Sorry!), and even though I can't promise the rest will be up any time soon, I will say that the chapters after this one will be considerably longer. Also, now that I've actually worked some more on the story, it's looking to be around ten chapters now as opposed to the original five or six.**

**On another note: I did not mention this in the first chapter, but this is going to be a darker story**—**the characters in particular. And I Just needed to make note of that.**

**So that's it! I'm been amazed by the response to this story so far, you all are incredible! I can't wait to see what you guys think as the story progresses! **

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Hiccup wasn't out for long. He awoke to the dangerous growling of wild beasts in an elapsed time of what he thought to be a blink of his eyes.

He felt the returned fear of the dragons that were only a few meters away. Luckily their growling seemed to be directed at each other rather than at him. Still, he knew they could turn on him in a moment's notice. In that case, he'd not find any luck.

So he decided to do the only thing a desperate creature would in this case—try to escape.

Remaining on his back, he began moving—slower than he'd ever moved before—away from the dragons.

The Night Fury, green eyes burning, growled at the Nightmares. "_You bring a human_ here?!" he flared. "_Do you even grasp the perils of that, you fool?_"

The carmine scaled Nightmare huffed, mustering up his pride. "_Majesty will think it a goodly offering._"

"_Don't test my patience!_" he snapped, causing the Nightmare to falter in his pride. "_You may be larger than me, but I'm faster and stronger. If this is your way of subtly challenging me, I'll warn you once: I will accept your challenge._"

The Nightmare lowered his head in submission, glowered at the Night Fury.

The jet-black dragon, turned his head over to the seemingly unconscious human, said: "_We'll kill this human and discard of him on an island far from here. All we can hope for is that his foul scent will dissipate and the humans will not be able travel his scent here._"

"_No!_" the Nightmare roared in protest, startling the dragon beside him. "_He's my gift to the Queen! I almost died trying to get him!_"

The Night Fury snarled in annoyance, "_If you don't help me do this, there won't be an 'almost'!_"

The Nightmare scowled at the threat, said nothing more.

The deep amber dragon beside him spoke up: "_Perhaps we should just give him to the Queen. I mean, it's not like one human is going to cause an entire _island_ of humans to venture here._"

The Night Fury stared at him, rolled his eyes at the dragon's competence after a moment. "_You won't dissuade me._" He said. "_We're doing this._"

"_But—_" the other Nightmare protested, stuttering as he searched for an answer. "_You can't take everything away! You'll at least let me kill him, right?_"

"_You captured him, you may kill him._" The Night Fury said. "_But only once we have him off the island!_"

"_May we play with him first?_" he asked. "_I want to make this creature suffer!_"

"_That's the way I hoped it would be done._" The Night Fury said. "_I'd have to kill you if I thought you actually had sympathy for those human beasts._"

"_Never!_" the Nightmare laughed at the ridiculous idea.

"_I'd sooner offer _myself_ to the Queen than offer my sympathy to a human!_" The other quickly agreed.

"_Very well,_" the Night Fury said, eyes flinging to the human. "_Let's get going. And _I'll_ carry him there!_" he glanced down to the Nightmare's talons. "_This way I'll be sure you don't drop him into the ocean. I know how you two are!_"

The Nightmare's just exchanged innocent expressions, but didn't protest this.

As the Night Fury approached the human, he realized that the human seemed..._further_...than he had originally thought. A wolfish smile touched his thin black lips at the realization. _You're a sly little human,_ he thought. _Not sly enough though._

* * *

The air was thin and dark as Hiccup felt the crushing grip of the Night Fury's talons release his upper arm, felt himself plummet a short distance before he hit solid surface. Pain shot through his back upon impact, but that was the least of his worries.

As he got to his feet, he quickly looked up through the thick foliage of the forest he was in, saw three dragons descending, deadly intent pitted in their beastly eyes. He had to do something _now_ if he was going to survive!

Frantically searching his person for anything to use, he saw the dragons land only a few meters away. He had nothing on him that could help him! He had the helmet on his head and a tiny dagger, which was virtually useless in his hands against such powerful beasts… Of all the dragons to be after him it had to be not one, but _two_ Monstrous Nightmares _and_ a _Night Fury!_

_A dagger and a small iron helmet will do nothing to these… wait a minute…_

The Nightmare, flexing his wings in and out, was quick to business. "_This'll be enjoyable!_"

The Night Fury blocked his path with a large black wing as the Nightmare moved forward. "_The human has a weapon_." He warned, gesturing to the dagger clenched tightly in Hiccup's left hand. "_It would be wise to disarm him before exposing your throat to him._"

The Nightmare scowled at the smaller dark dragon, "_It's only a puny blade,_" he protested, offended. "_And I have a full body of scales, unlike _you!"

The Fury growled, detecting the faint threads of disdain in the Nightmare's voice. "_Just hurry up and do it, then!_"

The Nightmare huffed just once, shifted his attention on the human. A predatory urge gracing him, he stalked toward the boy, wings extended to full mass to flaunt his massive size.

The dragon's eyes flew down to Hiccup's legs—he would break those first!

He opened his mouth, prepared to strike; the human swung the blade in his hands, completely missing the Nightmare and forcefully striking the helmet now in his other hand.

The Nightmare would have laughed, had it not been for the loud piercing noise that disoriented him and twisted his face.

Hiccup saw the effect the noise had on the beast, took the opportunity to jump to his feet and sprint into the thick forest.

The Night Fury—only slightly affected by this—snarled furiously, bashing the naïve Nightmare out of his path as he pursued the fleeing human.

Hiccup ran aimlessly, his savage heart racing. He just needed to escape these dragons, mostly the Night Fury, and he didn't care where he ended up as long as they weren't with him.

Sounds of snapping branches met his ears as he weaved in between trees. He didn't dare to look back, taking his eyes off the obstacle before him would be a fatal mistake. He knew if worse came to worse he still had the dagger in his hand, not that it would be of much use. Still…

He was running up an incline now. It wasn't steep by any means, but it still slowed him.

Behind him, the sounds of chase abruptly stopped. He didn't relax though, still running. He skidded to a sudden stop as the ground swiftly turned into a vertical drop, the shattered ruins of boulders scattered at along the sandy foot of the cliff below.

He desperately clawed at a nearby tree for purchase, just barely avoiding the fatal plummet. Stopping to listen again, his ears detected no reptilian noises.

_It's flying,_ he thought. _I need a place to hide!_

His eyes frantically wandered, scanning the shore below. They narrowed as the pools of green alertness spotted something in the darkness.

_That'll work!_

* * *

The Night Fury landed on the beach, slit pupils questing in their hyper-awareness. The human ran down here, he saw him! He sniffed the air sharply for the repulsive fleshy scent but that was gone as well.

A culmination of anger and frustration threatened to overwhelm him, sank his claws into the ground to ward it off. _I am a Night Fury. I don't allow emotion to consume me as it does other dragons._ The repeated reminder seemed to work, the ability to concentrate returning, a clearing in his mind.

He straightened, prepared to quest again for the human's scent. A forceful surge of liquid crashed against his face. He snarled, spitting the foul salt water from his mouth, shaking it from his scales. The rage coursed through him, pressing him. He wildly shot a concentrated ball of glowing plasma at the water.

The water burst and writhed in that small spot of impact, the glowing heat simmering and dying as new water buried it.

Chest heaving and feeling not a modicum of content, he snapped his wild gaze over the darkened sand to the cliff, back to the sand again. He let out a squealing roar of irritation, charged up and down the beach.

_The creature couldn't have gone far!_ _His meatless legs wouldn't permit it!_

His furious thoughts died and drifted like sand as he saw two red and amber Nightmares watching him curiously from the trees above.

Chagrined, he whirled his head away, pretending to not have seen them.

_How long have they been there?_ He wondered in embarrassment. _Did they witness my whole display?_

"_Did you lose the human?_" the carmine scaled Nightmare asked; a faint note of amused insinuation present in the tone.

The dark amber Nightmare to his left shot an expectant look at the Night Fury. Anxiety betrayed itself in the stiff dilating of those fiery orbs.

_I can't give them the benefit of my own failure._ He thought, glowering at them. _It's just the excuse they need to enrage the Queen!_

Cocking his head proudly, he said: "_I haven't lost it._ _The human's hiding here._"

The weak control of emotions revealed itself in the movements the Nightmares made as they leaped to the sand. They strode too confidently, with too much amusement. Their intentions were as visible as a red-furred prey in a green flatland. It was embarrassing that they were even trying to hide it, the cowards they were.

The larger of the two dragons, the carmine one, sent a questing glance up the beach, back down. "_Where could he be hiding?_" he questioned, noting the forward openness of the beach's features.

"_He's here,_" the Night Fury insisted, annoyed by the dragon's incompetence.

The Nightmare's brow furrowed. "_Are you—_"

"_Question me again and I'll be the one to kill the human. Not you._"

The Nightmare huffed, resentment burning in his narrowed pools of darkness. He spoke dangerously: "_You don't have the power to—_"

"_Be quiet!_" he snapped. "_You're to blame for this! Bringing a human to our nest like an ignorant fool! Don't you understand what the Queen would do to us had she received this gift_?"

"_She'd think highly of me._" he said hesitantly almost as if it he was unsure of the answer.

"_And do you know what happens to the slower providers when she thinks_ highly _of a dragon?_" he asked thinly.

"_The Queen deals with her subjects, accordingly._" He growled.

"Accordingly," he sneered. "_She kills them! And it's because of fools like you!_"

"_Why are you blaming me?_" he demanded. "_I'm doing a service to my Queen! Just because you're the only Night Fury here doesn't mean you've pardons!_"

"_The only reason there are no other Night Furies here is because I actually served my kin._" He said, narrowing his eyes in disgusted accusation as he continued. "_I wasn't a coward hiding beneath the fangs of a killer!_"

"_Traitor!_" he cried as he swung a tail at the Night Fury.

He dodged, leaping to the right and darting forward to tackle the Nightmare.

The carmine dragon wasn't quick enough to avoid it, large body getting slammed to the sand by the much smaller reptile. He hissed at the black dragon on top of him, whipped a wing to knock him off.

The Night Fury noticed it and jumped off before it could hit him. As he skidded to a stop in the sand, he briefly caught sight of the amber Nightmare quickly flying into the starry sky. An alarm went off in his mind. He had to stop him! He would report this directly to the Queen!

He went to take off in pursuit, felt piercing teeth clamp down on his tail, was hurled back to the sand.

The Nightmare was on him in seconds, body ablaze and stalactite talons threatening to tear open his exposed, vulnerable belly.

Instincts wailing their warning, the black-scaled dragon shifted his weight to his upper back, used the shifting force to launch upward with his hind legs, and sent the Nightmare sprawling across the sand.

Whipping to his feet, the Night Fury let out a penetrating roar at the dragon, asserting dominance.

The Nightmare snarled lowering his head at the powerful voice until it ceased.

He straightened watching the Nightmare carefully. For a second the Night Fury thought he was going to attack, but all he did was spit a line of disdainful lava at him then flew off into the night.

He watched the Nightmare scurry off into the cover of night. "_Coward!_" He shouted, chest rising and falling rapidly in exhaustion.

They were going back to inform the Queen of his actions, he knew with grim certainty. She already held distaste for him and his past actions, keeping him merely for his abilities and usefulness. But now the testaments of the cowardly Nightmares would surely get him exiled.

_I've lost my home!_ He thought furiously.

His ears perked up at a noise behind him, whirled to see a thin figure, making its escape in the ocean.

Teeth clenching in a deathly growl and muscles angrily tensed, the Night Fury vowed a single thought: _I will bite down on your throat!_ And with that he launched for the boy.

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**So what did you think? The next chapter will have much more Hiccup in it, I promise that!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: Hello all! I apologize for the long wait in between chapters, and just know that they will become more frequent from now on, especially once To Tame a Land is finished!**

**Review responses**

**Guest: I suppose it's okay to find this hilarious, but what exactly are you laughing at, the quality or the characters' actions?**

**I'm really glad that you guys like this story and find it unique among the fandom! I'm having a blast writing it and as long as there is demand for it, I'll continue it I guess!**

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Hiccup peddled his arms with all the strength his frail body possessed. The cold dark water held him back though, keeping him chained to the island with an insurmountable force. His fingers and toes were so cold and bringing and irrepressible torrent of shivers throughout his entire body. He'd surely freeze to death before he reached another island, but he had to try!

A swooping current of air cuffed his left ear; he turned to see the Night Fury racing his way.

In a sudden lash of desperation, he dove beneath the water, swimming as far down as his tiny lungs would permit.

The Night Fury scoffed at this, plunged from the sky and into the water. He grabbed the human by the shoulder, talons ripping through clothing and skin, and returned upward. As swimming turned to flight and oxygen permitted regular noise once again, the painful wails of the human were all that met his reptilian ears. Oh how the pitiful creature desperately struck at his scales! And the smell of his blood now seeping from the fresh holes his talons were digging into him!

So many thoughts on how to kill this pathetic human entered his mind as he hovered over the island. So many ways, and so many options…and he was in control of it all.

For a moment he became conscious of himself, realized how sadistic his thoughts were becoming. Night Furies killed quick and efficiently. And without fail. There was no time for play.

But still he found reason to support his savage need, told himself:_ This human is the reason for my misfortune! For that I shall bring torment!_

He tightened his grip on the shoulder, smiling as the boy emitted a pathetic cry in agony.

"Let me go, dragon!" the human wailed, kicking his feet uselessly.

That's all humans knew how to do—plead for mercy. Over and over and over even when it was hopeless. Did they really think _words _would save them?

A sidelong frequency caught his left ear at that moment and he raised his frills at it.

His former island wasn't far from this one, he knew, and those stupid Nightmares would no doubt be returning with reinforcements to take him down… traitors! It made his blood boil with fury that his own kind would betray _him_—a _Night Fury_ of all dragons!

It didn't matter now, he resented nearly every one of those will-less dragons that flew within those obsidian walls and laughed that they were trapped with a tyrant who had absolutely no compassion for them whatsoever.

_He_ was free, _they_ were not. But the thought of being cast out still hurt for some reason.

He caught the noise again, this time closer. He cringed at the thought of flying away like a coward, but it was pointless to just give up and die by the jaws of those who would call him a coward anyway, becoming nothing more than a horribly mangled corpse, belittled by the slashes of countless cruel talons. Growling in frustration, he hooked his wing up and turned west—opposite of the dragons far off in the distance.

_Defeated, and this human still manages to somehow bring me trouble._ He thought pitifully to himself.

The human had fallen silent by now, but still smelled of life. The Night Fury smiled in satisfaction. _Once I've made waste of you, I'll go search for a different home. One that's not ruled by a tyrant!_

As fond as he was of the idea, he knew it wasn't as simple as that. For years he had mulled over a way to escape the Queen's awful reign and to find sanctuary elsewhere, and each clever, well thought out plan fell short with the knowledge that his blood was tainted—his _scent_ was claimed. He was a possession of this awful Queen, and everywhere he went, every Kingdom he went to; they would all know to whom he belonged and the consequences that would ensue should they attempt to embezzle him from Her.

And there was no power strong enough to combat Her magnificence—She had too much strength on Her side. And now he knew his only option at survival would be to live alone, among the little islets of wood and foliage, constantly moving from one land to another until the day death claimed him.

But one thing was certain—he would get revenge on that traitorous Nightmare. He was going to _make _sure the dragon knew that the human he so desired to kill was in fact killed by his enemy. And then he'd kill the shamed dragon!

The idea mused splendidly in his mind, spawning a smile on his face. The Nightmare would be animate in his response, he knew. That dragon couldn't keep a single emotion hidden, not even before the Queen! It was a wonder he was still alive!

He glanced down at his foreleg as the human let out little pained whimpers. At least the human had brought frustration to the Nightmare as well…that was the only good thing the vile creature had managed to do, albeit inadvertently.

He managed to catch sight of a small rocky outcropping in the distance, the dark silhouettes of trees spanning its top side. The island seemed suitable enough to call his home, at least for tonight anyway. It was uninhabited by the look, covered in shielding trees and rocky mountains. If anyone came to investigate, he'd hear them and have enough time to escape.

Swooping in low, he hovered just over the tree line, released the boy trapped in his claws.

Hiccup felt his back collide with the rooted ground; the firm wood veins dug divots into his spine as his weight bore helplessly down upon them. He had little time to react to the jolts of throbbing pain as the black figure, a guise of nightly demise, loomed over him, jaw perched open giving life to a whistling shrill—growing… glowing.

Hiccup felt his heart shrivel up as if evaporated under the sun, knowing well the haunting sound that should never be this close to him. '…Hide and pray it does not find you' but he had definitely been found, so what was he to do now? He had never enrolled in Dragon Training before, so he had not the slightest inkling of survival when engaged by the winged beasts of the sky. However he did recall a single thing Gobber had said to him during a particularly nasty raid. "if y're close enough to a beast chargin' its flame, give his throat a good ol' clawin'! 'S the most vulnerable spot on a creature's body!" the man had said.

Hesitating not a beat longer, he obeyed the teachings of his smithing teacher, and shot his hand upward, fingers poised to rip and tear as they sank into the leathery skin.

His actions were successful…partially…the beast closed his mouth and fell over like a boulder on the grass! …But he wasn't dead… no, he was just… _unconscious_?

The Berkian got to his feet, staring warily at the jet-black beast lying prone on the earth. He was truly sleeping! As if his lack of strength wasn't humiliating enough, it put dragons to sleep—_literally_!

He wasn't about to waste a blessing on self-pity though, and he turned to make his escape… but the branches beneath his feet said otherwise. The multiple snaps were enough to wake the jet-black beast. And to make matters worse, the Night Fury appeared downright furious now.

"_What did you just do to me, human?!_" he growled in demand as he leaped onto his paws.

Hiccup stuttered under the malicious emerald gaze of the Night Fury, striking, what he felt to be, an intimidating pose. "S-stay back!" he weakly commanded. "Don't—there's no reason to—why do you want to kill me so badly?"

The dragon snorted a laugh, "_Beg beg beg, you will not gain my mercy, human._"

Hiccup blinked in thought, retaining the same hostile position. "Are you hungry? Is that what it is?" he asked hopefully. "I can bring you some sheep, or something—" he jumped as the dragon let out a fierce snarl and began treading toward him. "Okay okay! Just... don't kill me... please... you don't have to!"

The Night Fury persisted, coming right up to him and pushing him down with a paw. He loomed his face inches from Hiccup's. "_You have one chance, human. If you betray me, I_ will _kill you without hesitation!_" he stared momentarily at the boy's quivering face, appearing near tears. "_Now go bring me the food you offered_." He drew away from the human.

Hiccup let out a long life-draining sigh, taking his time to reach his feet. He stared wordlessly at the dragon that was sending him a strange look. Was he free? Was the dragon letting him go?! ...It couldn't be that easy!

The Fury's confused stare turned to one of impatience. He growled, "_What are you waiting for?!_" he demanded. "_Go, stupid human!_"

Hiccup tensed at the sudden hostility. "What do you want?" he asked.

The dragon rolled his eyes. _Humans are so stupid! _He approached the boy, eyes hardened in annoyance, "FOOD!" he roared, jabbing his nose forcefully into the boy's stomach for gesture.

Hiccup reeled at the force that was harder than any punch he'd received in his life, coughing as he fell flat on the ground.

The Night Fury just growled in disdain and walked away from him, kicking dirt into his face from his hind paws. He didn't travel that far, planting himself at the base of a rather large spruce tree a few feet away.

The Berkian slowly got to his feet once again, holding his abdomen as he mumbled, "I got it, you want food! You don't have to be such a jerk about it..."

The dragon paid him no mind, folding his tailfin lightly over his face to dismiss the boy. Once he heard the human's footsteps fade away into the night, he thought to himself: _I'll keep him alive until I meet the Nightmare again...then I'll kill him so that the fool can see it and feel shamed that he lost his prey to another!_

* * *

Hiccup scampered through the woods with a skittish gait, jumping at shadows like a paranoid cat. He was unable to get over the fact that the Night Fury had just let him go so simply as on an agreement of collecting food. It couldn't have been that transparent—dragons didn't make compromises, they were wild, savage beasts! No, it must have been a trick. The Night Fury wasn't going to just let him live when he brought the food back. He would probably devour him along _with_ the other food... But why would he make this agreement then? Why not just eat him and be done with it?

He shook his head nonsensically. Sure dragons seemed slightly more intelligent than the average beasts of the woods and seas, but they were still animals, were they not? They couldn't retain the mental acuity to make thought-out decisions, right?

But it sure seemed like that was what the Night Fury had done—spared him so long as he brought him food. That was an accord, wasn't it?

He sighed from the complete confusion of the situation. For the first time in his entire life he wished to be home, with his father and Gobber. Hel, even the teen's brutish faces would be a sight for his dreary, frightened eyes... He knew it would most likely never be.

With a saddened groan of resentment, he glanced back to the area where the Night Fury was most likely still sleeping. If one thing was certain in this whole debacle, it was that the Night Fury couldn't be trusted. But how was he supposed to get away from it?

He knew how successful running was, and mentally checked it off from his escape options... Perhaps he could hide in a little place in between two rocks and wait for the dragon to get bored and fly away... but he had no idea how determined this dragon was about killing him and didn't want to risk starving to death waiting for the beast to fly away.

So he continued to think of a way. There had to be one, there had to be some method or technique he could use to get away from this psychotic reptile! There was no way he could actually go _back_ to the beast—that was a certain deathtrap! Even_ if_ he had food, the dragon would surely kill him without thought or mercy, making him one with its meal...unless...

An idea began to take shape and form within his mind. _Maybe I could bring him so much food he'll get sick..._

He liked the idea, but still found risks within it—too many for his comfort. Even if the dragon filled itself with food, that still wouldn't stop it from killing him with its claws... no he had to to something else, something more effective. Perhaps... he could _poison_ the food! That would surely stop the thing, not to mention eliminating it permanently from his worries.

Yes, that was what he'd do—poison the dragon's meal, and escape. Then he'd be able to return to his village not only as the Viking that slewed a dragon, but the Viking that slewed a _Night Fury_—the most lethal of dragons! He'd be a hero among his tribe, loved and finally accepted... and he knew from his time spent around Gobber that dragons seemed to be instantaneously susceptible to a small little flower known as the oleander...and it was the right time of year... Perhaps that Nightmare taking him was a good thing!

* * *

The Night Fury awoke some time later when something wet and heavy flopped down a few feet away from him.

His emerald pools went from alert to calm resentment as soon as they settled upon a tiny human standing cautiously, what the foolish creature most likely thought to be, a safe distance away.

As he got up on his forelegs, he noticed that the dawn was just beginning to blossom on the horizon, lining the clouds a sweet ruby red. The birds had already begun their endless song, chirping from the numerous hidden locations among the trees... He would be taking part in none of that, he wasn't even supposed to be _awake_ yet, being a nocturnal creature and all.

But lo and behold, here this ignorant piece of meat was, throwing food into his face as if he outranked him!

He cast a scowling glance down at the human's offer, saw the little makeshift ropes entangling a mere two salmon. "_What is this?_" he growled. "_Do you think to satisfy me with your puny offer?_"

Hiccup, sensing the dragon's displeasure scratched the back of his head nervously. "I couldn't catch anymore. I don't have the proper tools to collect anything close to a meal..."

The dragon knew he was lying just by the stray bits of scent from the human's mouth when he spoke. He decided however to let it slide that the repulsive creature had taken some for himself most likely just before he came here... the human has still brought him _something _at least.

Hiccup watched with eager-quickened eyes as the Night Fury moved toward the food. His heart had never pounded so rapidly in his chest as it was now, watching the creature lower its head, burn off the makeshift ropes, and—

He stopped.

Hiccup's heart sank. _No no no, why did he stop?! _

The Night Fury sniffed the fish curiously for a moment, then stopped all together. Pupils going thin, he reeled backward and squealed at the fish, batting them away violently into the woods with a tailfin.

Hiccup took two steps back in cower before he was pounced on by an absolutely furious dragon.

The Night Fury was deadly silent as he held the boy down by the arms, mouth wide and gathering gas to obliterate.

Hiccup could only close his eyes is resignation as he heard the shrill gathering in momentum, a catastrophic glow illuminating the back of the dragon's throat. Then, at its most intense moment, it fired, and explosion rocking the ground blasting dirt and burned grass in all directions...

But he was... still alive?

Eyes parting slowly, he saw the rolling orientation of the Night Fury above him, felt the creature's weight falter and fall beside him—unconscious—right next to a simmering black spot of what was supposed to be deadly accuracy.

* * *

**I know I said this last chapter, but this one_ is_ the last of the shorter chapters. There were just a few little scenes that needed their own chapter here.**


End file.
